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Baseball

London Badgers lose twice in defending title

The London Badgers have enjoyed a lot of great days at the midget nationals over the last six years.

Thursday was not one of them.

The defending champs dropped their opening two games in demoralizing fashion at the Baseball Canada under-18 tournament, blasted 14-1 to Quebec in their morning kickoff, then suffering a gut-wrenching 5-4 extra-inning loss to Alberta in the afternoon at the Julien Morin field in Magog, Que.

Tied 1-1 in the eighth in a rematch of last year’s gold-medal game in Trois-Rivieres, the Badgers pushed across three runs without a hit thanks to three Alberta errors. But the Edmonton-area team scored four times off Badgers lefty reliever Mike Mommersteeg in the bottom half, winning it on a two-run double by designated hitter Jake Fischer.

London starter Noah Smith (four innings) and Mommersteeg had combined to allow just one run on four hits before the nightmare eighth.

Badgers shortstop Andrew Fletcher drove in the Ontario reps’ only earned run with a second-inning single.

In the opener, Trois-Rivieres native Ismael Ballard torched London for four hits, including a three-run homer and two doubles, and seven RBIs in the blowout.

London only managed three hits off Quebec’s pitching. Vincent Beauregard, Joey Toupin and Zachary Gignac combined to strike out eight Badgers.

Fletcher started and took a rare loss, giving up four earned runs on six hits in 3⅔ innings.